Watthour meters used in certain settings may be tested by using test switches. The watthour meter is used to monitor the amount of power being used by a facility and the test switch provides hardware to allow a temporary connection to a portable testing device to test the accuracy of the watthour meter, or a particular connection within the watthour meter. A prior art transformer rated watthour meter socket including a test switch assembly is shown in FIG. 2. The watthour meter socket includes a meter block into which the watthour meter is plugged.
Generally prior art watthour meter sockets include a cabinet 20 having a watthour meter block 40 mounted therein. Watthour meter block 40 includes meter block jaws 28 and meter block terminals 30. Watthour meter block 40 may be mounted to a back wall of the cabinet 20. A watthour meter having blades may be plugged into the watthour meter block with the watthour meter blades engaging the watthour meter block jaws. A surge ground bracket 42 is provided that includes extensions that extend away from watthour meter block 40 to facilitate positioning of the watthour meter (not shown) to cabinet 20 as well as to provide a grounding function. Wiring 29 is placed within cabinet 20 to connect meter block terminals 30 to a plurality of test switch terminals 33 on a test switch assembly 34. As shown wiring 29 is individually bent about the perimeter of cabinet 20 and connected between each respective meter block terminal 30 and the corresponding test switch assembly 34. When the cover is installed wiring 29 is shielded by the cover.
Test switch assembly 34 includes a plurality of test switches 36 which allow selective connection of a secondary testing device (not shown) to measure the accuracy of a watthour meter (not shown). Test switch 36 may include a non-conductive test switch cover 41 which prevents finger contact with the test switch assembly 34 or test switches 36.
A cover, not shown in FIG. 2, closes the front of cabinet 20 and shields the test switch 36 and wiring 29 while exposing the meter block jaws 28 through an aperture in the cover. The watthour meter is connected through aperture to connect the blades of the watthour meter to the watthour meter block jaws 28 in a male female arrangement. The construction of such watthour meter sockets can be governed by the Approved American National Standard (ANSI) and the watthour meter socket described in the prior art is compliant with current relevant ANSI standards including ANSI C12.7.
A need has arisen to provide an improved watthour meter socket.